Teresa's Confession
1035 Words
Dinner should have felt normal—if only the world outside the Hartwell home wasn't burning with scandal.
Spoons and forks clinked softly. No one was really enjoying their food.
Maxel spoke first. "The stock is down again today."
Brandon didn't turn around immediately. "By how much?"
"Now it's down 14 per cent." Maxel looked up. "And analysts say this isn't the bottom yet."
"Oh." Brandon casually put a piece of meat in his mouth. "I thought it would be worse."
Celline quickly turned to Brandon. She knew that tone. Brandon was pretending.
Maxel leaned back. "You don't sound worried at all."
"Why should I be worried?" Brandon shrugged. "Companies go up and down all the time."
"This isn't a normal ups and downs," Maxel interrupted. "This is reputation. Investors believe in Hartwell's stability. Now they think we're—" he paused for a moment, "—a dysfunctional family."
Celline clenched her hands under the table.
Teresa finally spoke up. "The media is too cruel. They don't care about facts, only sensationalism."
Brandon turned to her. "What are the facts, Teresa?"
Teresa tensed slightly. "What do you mean?"
Brandon smiled slightly. "Oh, it's nothing. Continue eating."
Maxel sighed heavily. "Brandon, stop acting like this isn't important. If this trend continues, Hartwell Corporation could collapse."
"And if it collapses?" Brandon asked casually.
"What do you mean, 'and if it collapses'?" Maxel raised his voice.
Brandon finally put down his cutlery. He looked straight at Maxel. "If it collapses, well, it's not yours anyway."
"That's easy for you to say," Teresa interjected quickly. "There are thousands of employees who depend on this company."
"And there's one person who has been sacrificed for the sake of image," Brandon replied calmly.
Celline held her breath.
Maxel narrowed his eyes. "Who are you talking about?"
Brandon reached for Celline's hand on the table. "My wife."
The atmosphere froze.
"Do you know what people are saying out there?" Maxel sighed. "They call this marriage sick. Immoral."
"Other people's opinions are none of my business," said Brandon. "I married for love, not for shares."
Teresa smiled faintly, but her eyes looked happy. "Love can't pay for billions in losses, but nothing can stop people who are in love."
"I don't need that much money," replied Brandon casually. "As long as Celline is by my side, I'm fine."
Celline looked at him, surprised.
"You're crazy," muttered Maxel. "Your grandfather didn't build Hartwell just for you to destroy it for one person."
Brandon smiled coldly. "Grandfather built Hartwell for me, so what's wrong with me destroying it?"
"This isn't the way!" Maxel was rightfully furious.
"Then what does it have to do with an outsider like you? Remember, you only have two more days to sit in this chair."
The next morning, the stock chart fell again. Teresa's phone wouldn't stop ringing.
"Is it true that Celline is Brandon's half-sister?"
"Is Hartwell covering up a family scandal?"
Teresa slammed her laptop shut. "I'll tell them everything. I won't let the fortune that's right in front of me be destroyed."
A press conference was held that afternoon.
A reporter asked sharply, "Mrs. Teresa, is it true that Brandon married his own half-sister?"
Teresa took a breath. "No."
The room immediately erupted in commotion.
"Celline is my adopted daughter," she continued. "There is no blood relation between her and Brandon."
"So their marriage—?"
"Is legal and moral," Teresa replied firmly.
At the Hartwell residence, Celline watched the broadcast. "She really said it," she whispered.
Brandon stood behind her. "She had no choice. She'll do anything to achieve her goals."
"This was all your plan?"
Brandon stood behind the sofa, his hands in his trouser pockets. His face showed no relief—only vigilance.
"It was a rational decision," he said. "Hartwell is too valuable to sacrifice for a secret."
Celline turned quickly. "You already knew he would give in."
"I calculated it," Brandon replied briefly.
Silence slipped between them.
Celline stood up. "At the dinner table last night... you said you loved me."
Brandon didn't answer immediately.
"Was that also a calculation?" Celline asked softly.
Brandon looked at her now. His gaze was sharp, cold, unflinching. "Yes."
That one word fell like a knife.
"You... don't love me?" Celline's voice was barely audible.
"No," Brandon replied honestly. "I never said it was real. We agreed on that, didn't we?"
Celline laughed bitterly. "You know, I really believed it."
"That's what made this plan work," Brandon said calmly. "If you didn't believe it, Teresa wouldn't have believed it either."
"Then what now?" Celline looked at him. "Now that you've got what you wanted?"
Brandon took a step closer, stopping at a safe distance. "Now you're legally safe," he said. "And I remain the owner of Hartwell Corporation without the shadow of scandal."
Celline shook her head slowly. "You're playing with marriage."
"This marriage is a contract," Brandon replied. "It has been from the beginning." He walked to the desk and picked up a black folder.
"The terms are written here," he continued. "No emotional obligations. No demands for love. You are free to hate me."
Celline stared at the folder for a long time. "What if I leave?" she asked.
"You can't," Brandon replied honestly. "Not yet."
"Because of Teresa?"
“Because of the public,” Brandon answered. “A quick divorce would reopen wounds that have just been closed.”
Celline closed her eyes. “How long do I have to be trapped in your game?”
“Until I’m sure Teresa has truly lost control,” Brandon said. “And until Hartwell is truly stable.”
Celline opened her eyes. “And after that?”
Brandon was silent for a moment. "You can go."
No promises. No consolation.
Celline nodded slowly. "Okay." She turned towards the stairs, then stopped. "Brandon," she said without turning around. "If one day I really fall in love with you... it will be my own fault."
Brandon didn't answer. Because from the beginning, he had never intended to save anyone's feelings, except his own interests.
"I hope you never make that mistake."
"Yes, hopefully."
Brandon smiled slightly. "Do you think love and your body can defeat me?"
- Writer
